A few days later, Bitsy was hard at work in her office, feverishly working through the finer details of her Central Park plan. She'd come up with a few ideas on what could be done to devastate Central Park even more. Fireworks and plastic explosives, it seemed, just weren't enough anymore. She needed something stronger, much stronger... something like Astrolite, perhaps. She knew all too well how explosive ammonium nitrate could be, especially in accidental disasters. She knew that the explosives used in the Oklahoma City bombing were made of ammonium nitrate, and she definitely knew that this was the same chemical compound that Dimitry and his men liked to use for their activities. She didn't really know where to go from here, however. If she really wanted this plan to work, though, then she'd have to try to go for something more grandiose. Really, there was only one thing that she could do...
"Classi!" Bitsy called out to her. "Come in here for a second!"
Classi came in as quickly as she could and took a seat across from Bitsy's desk.
"What's up?" Classi asked. "You need me for something?"
"Of course I do. I need you to do me a favor."
"You need my help, you gots it. Now what do you want?"
"Can you help me get ahold of some ammonium nitrate?"
"Ammonium nitrate?" Classi tilted her head. "You mean like the stuff you can find in fertilizer?"
"Yes, that's the one. Now are you going to help me find it or not?"
"Sure, whatever you need, Bitsy."
"Good." Suddenly, the phone started ringing. "Hold on, I think someone's calling."
Classi crossed her arms. "Well, pick it up, then. Might be someone important."
"I can't do that right now. I'm busy!"
Classi just rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, clearly you're too busy to get that."
Bitsy just glared at her from behind her glasses. "Just pick up the damn phone!"
Classi huffed and brought the phone up to Bitsy's ears. "Jeez, you don't make this easy, do you? You're just as much of a boomer as you were the day I met you."
Bitsy just ignored the insult Classi had landed her way and started speaking into the phone. "Hello? Can you tell me who this is? Huh? Oh, Dimitry! It's so good to hear from you!" Bitsy's voice shot up by an octave in an attempt to sound nice. "So how have you been?"
Classi could only stand there and watch Bitsy's side of the phone conversation while she held the phone that Bitsy spoke into. So far, it'd been typical, with Bitsy even nodding to something that Dimitry had said, but then Bitsy's face gave way to a look of confusion.
"What? Could you repeat that to me?" Pause. After that, Bitsy's expression shifted to shock and anger. "What the fuck? I didn't say that!" Pause. "WHAT?! What do you mean I've been ghosting you?! Why would I suddenly be ghosting you after everything we've been through?!" Pause. "You're willing to believe some blonde thirty-something hussy over me?! Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting getting into business with a Russian. Fuck you and your whole family! Don't ever contact me again! We're through!" With that, Bitsy slammed the phone down onto the receiver.
When all was said and done, Classi just stood there, bug-eyed and unsure how to respond. Eventually, she found her voice. "You mind telling me what that was about?"
Bitsy was absolutely fuming. "Kayla convinced Dimitry to pull out of the Central Park deal..."
"She what now?"
"Are you really asking me to repeat myself?" Bitsy slammed her forehead down onto her desk. "God-fucking-dammit. I can't believe she'd do that to me, and after everything I did for her! Oh, fuck me! Oh my God! This fucking sucks!"
"You got any ideas why she'd do something like that?"
"No clue. Oh, fuck me! Fuck everything!"
Classi placed her hand on her chin and looked down to the ground. "I mean, that does seem odd that your daughter would do that to you. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this..."
Miles away, at David's Bridal on 45 W 25th St., Kayla was trying on what felt like the hundredth wedding dress she and Helen had picked out from the rack. Kayla was surrounded by their mutual bridesmaids, who were eagerly offering their opinions on each dress she tried on. She twirled in front of the mirror, assessing herself from every angle. Despite the excitement and anticipation that usually accompanied wedding dress shopping, Kayla couldn't shake off a sense of unease.
How much longer would it be until Bitsy had realized that her plan had been sabotaged? Kayla wasn't sure she wanted to find out right now, but that feeling still lingered even while Kayla tried to occupy her mind with thoughts of the future. She took deep breaths to calm herself while she looked at her reflection that stood before her. It was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.
"Wow, I still can't believe you guys are getting married," Abby told Kayla. "Like, a year ago, I wouldn't have even seen this coming."
Kayla let out a nervous giggle. "Right? I can't believe it, either, but here we are. Just a few more months before Helen and I will be wives."
Spinel took this as an opportunity to chime in. "Oh my gosh, you guys are gonna be so adorable in your dresses!"
"Thanks, Spinel," Kayla said. "I appreciate it. I can't wait for you guys to be there."
As Kayla continued to try on dresses, her mind wandered back to the situation with Bitsy. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for what she had done. But at the same time, she couldn't deny that a part of her felt liberated from her mother's controlling grip. There was something so satisfying about sabotaging communication between her adoptive mother and Russian gangsters. More than 171,146 words currently in use in the English language; and yet none of them could ever describe the kind of joy she felt in doing that.
All of a sudden, a random employee walked in. "Is everything alright?"
Kayla looked up, momentarily startled by the interruption. She quickly composed herself and replied, "Yes, everything is fine. Just trying to find the perfect dress."
"Good. I was just checking, that's all."
Kayla nodded, grateful for the employee's concern. "Okay, thanks."
Once the employee had left, Kayla returned her attention to the dresses, trying to push aside any lingering worries about Bitsy and focus on the task at hand. With each dress she tried on, Kayla couldn't help but imagine herself walking down the aisle towards Helen, surrounded by their loved ones. The thought filled her with a sense of joy and excitement that overshadowed any doubts or fears she had.
